Turn around, Xander, he told himself. Turn around and go back home. Pretend you never saw them.
But he didn't, he couldn't. His breath quickened as he moved forward slowly.
"Something breathing out there. Something human," Angel said, sniffing the air. His head came up, dark eyes turning unerringly toward Xander. "Nice ax, Xander."
"Xander?" Buffy said. Her voice was surprised. Surprised and not all together pleased, Xander noticed. "What are you doing out here? I thought you were at home."
"I'm sure you did," he managed. He was fighting down the urge to hit Angel with the axe, split him in two, take off his head. But when he killed Spike, he had a reason. Now he didn't. Unless pure blind jealousy counted.
Angel's eyes were laughing at him over Buffy's shoulder. Did you think you could hold the Slayer? they asked him. Did you think a boy like you would be enough for her?
"Is something wrong at home? Is Dawn…?"
Xander moved his eyes back to Buffy. "She's at Kit's. Everything is fine. I came to lend you a hand. But I see you already have one."
Buffy glanced casually over her shoulder at Angel. "Oh, Angel came up from L.A. with some information for me. We just got to talking. Remember against the mayor…?"
"Come home, Buffy," Xander interrupted her. His hand tightened on the ax when Angel put his hand on her shoulder. He knew his face was flushed, knew Angel could tell. He hoped that it was too dark for Buffy to notice.
"Xander, you'll make me think you're not glad to see me," Angel said, sliding his hand down Buffy's arm. She seemed unconscious of it. Or maybe she was used to it.
"Xander, honey, Angel doesn't get into town that often," Buffy said. "Why don't we all go back home…."
"Why doesn't he take his hands off of you instead?" Xander barked, gesturing toward them with the ax. It came closer to them than he had intended.
Buffy looked at the ax with some alarm. Angel dropped his hand from Buffy's arm and took a step back from her, no longer grinning.
"Xander, stop it. What's going on with you? Are you jealous?" Buffy asked.
"Right in one, Buffy," Angel said. "Either that, or your precious hubby has gone off the deep end."
"Shut up, you creep!" Xander shouted. He pointed the ax at Angel.
"You might like to know, Xander, though it pains me to the core to admit it, that your little bride was just regaling me with tales of your wonderfulness," Angel said. He actually sounded sincere. "Since forever. A vampire brass band could have marched up on us while she was going on." Angel rolled his eyes.
Xander looked at Buffy, the ax dropping to his side. Her eyes were full of tears.
"Oh, God, Buffy, I'm sorry," he said. His head dropped and he carefully studied his shoes, trying to hide his own tears. "I just feel so helpless, sitting at home, waiting for you. And since Mexico. And now him. I'm so sorry."
Buffy's hand cupped under his chin, forcing him to look at her.
"I love you, Xander Harris. I belong to you, Buffy Summers-Harris, Vampire Slayer, college student, whatever else I am, I'm yours," she said.
"Oh yech," Angel said behind her.
"Shut up Angel," they both said. They kissed, gently at first, then passionately.
"Stop that, or I may empty the contents of my undead stomach all over the two of you," Angel demanded.
Buffy giggled, still pressed against Xander, who felt excitement beginning to smolder in his belly, and below that as well.
"Seriously, this is more horror than I've ever been….OOF."
Buffy spun to see Angel landing on the ground with a large, ugly demon on top of him. It looked like a spider crossed with a bird. But considerably uglier. It was clawing at Angel's face, which had gone all vampy as he struggled with the creature.
Xander tossed Buffy the ax as she ran toward Angel. As if in slow motion, Xander saw the creature throw Angel into a tombstone and charge Buffy. Damn it was fast. Buffy sank the ax into its chest and rolled away, but it raked its talons across her back. She screamed and fell.
Xander then did one of the stupider things he had ever done, including stepping in front of the bullet from Warren Means gun.
"Hey, stupid!" he yelled at the monster. Ax still embedded in its chest, it turned toward him, away from Buffy's prone body. One chance at this, Xander thought. He pulled a stake out of his pocket and leapt at the demon, burying the stake in its eye and throwing all his weight against the ax in its chest.
Not a great plan, he realized, when it seized him by the neck. His feet lifted off the ground. Oh, shit, he thought, stars dancing before his eyes.
He tried to kick at the ax and failed, then managed to get one hand around the slimy, gore coated haft and twisted it. The demon had to release his neck to grab at his hand, damn near tearing it off at the wrist to get him to let go of the haft. Xander screamed in pain. The demon dropped him to the ground and turned back toward the Slayer. Who was gone. Xander blinked. Where the Hell was she? And where was Angel?
The creature roared, dragging the ax loose and then scrabbling one hand at the stake. It turned back toward Xander, the only victim left. It raised the ax and Xander tried to scramble away, but it was too fast.
Suddenly, its head jerked back and around with a sickening crack, and it fell to the ground. Buffy stood over it, bruised, battered, but still standing. Angel was a step behind her, his face bleeding from multiple gashes. Xander felt at his throat with his good hand, then looked down at his other. It was still attached, but blood was pouring down it.
"Quite a team," he heard Angel say. He looked up to see the vampire standing over him, one hand out. He grasped it, and Angel pulled him to his feet, then stepped back so Buffy could throw herself into his arms.
"Ow!" they said together.